Artists/Producers That Use/Rely on I-V-vi-VI Chord Progressions:
The Offspring:
G-D-Em-C:
• The Offspring – Cruisin’ California (chorus – verses too?)
Am-F-C-G:
• The Offspring – Self-Esteem (intro, verses, chorus - no minor?)
• The Offspring – You’re Gonna Go Far, Kid (verses/chorus - no minor?)
A#m-F#-C#-G#:
• The Offspring – The Kids Aren’t Alright (chorus)
Em-C-G-D:
• The Offspring - Coming for You (first 3x of chorus - slide into E after last 5 chord - no minor?)
• The Offspring - Dividing by Zero (chorus)
• The Offspring - Gotta Get Away (chorus - no minor?)
A-B-C#m-E:
• The Offspring - Want You Bad! (pre-chorus, then B replaces E the second time)
E-C#m-B-A:
• The Offspring - Want You Bad! (verses/chorus - verses only play C# w/o minor - then G#m-A-B to end verses and first line of chorus, G#m-A-B-E to end chorus)
Am-C-F-G:
• The Offspring - Can’t Repeat (whole song)
A#m-C#-F#-G#:
• The Offspring – The Opioid Diaries (chorus)
D#m-F#-B-C#:
• The Offspring – Let the Bad Times Roll (intro/verses)
F#m-D-A-E:
• The Offspring - This is Not Utopia (most of song)
• The Offspring - Race Against Myself (intro/chorus)
• The Offspring - All I Want (chorus)
Ryan Tedder/OneRepublic:
Cm-G#-D#-A#:
• OneRepublic - Apologize (whole song)
A-Bm-G-D:
• OneRepublic - Kids (most of song, D is not played in parts - mainly before chorus)
F#-C#-G#-A#m:
• OneRepublic - Preacher (most of song)
Am-F-C-G:
• OneRepublic – Someday (whole song)
Bm-D-A-G:
• OneRepublic – Run (most of song)
C#m-E-B-A:
• OneRepublic - Counting Stars (most of song)
• OneRepublic - Didn’t I (most of song)
F#-B-D#m-C#:
• OneRepublic - Good Life (most of song)
Bm-D-G-A:
• OneRepublic - Dream (whole song)
A-E-F#m-D:
• Kelly Clarkson - Already Gone (most of verses)
D-A-Bm-G:
• James Blunt - Stay the Night (intro/chorus - add C at end)
A#m-F#-G#-C#:
• Ellie Goulding - Burn (intro/choruses)
C#m-A-E-B:
• OneRepublic & Seeb – Rich Love (most of song)
Am-G-C-F:
• OneRepublic – All the Right Moves (most of whole song riff – last chord may differ in parts)
A-E-B-C#m:
• Lil Nas X - That's What I Want (chorus – end on A-E-B)
E-B-C#m-A:
• OneRepublic – Stop and Stare (chorus – end on B first time, end on E second time)
Bastille:
C#m-A-E-B:
• Bastille - Laughter Lies (second half of chorus)
Em-C-G-D:
• Bastille - Icarus (chorus - D might be D/F#)
• Bastille - WHAT YOU GONNA DO??? (whole song except pre-chorus)
E-F#m-D-A:
• Bastille - Laura Palmer (chorus)
D-A-F#m-E:
• Bastille - Pompeii (most of song)
F-C-Am-G:
• Bastille - These Streets (chorus)
C-Em-G-D:
• Bastille - Icarus (pre-chorus)
F#m-E-D-A:
• Bastille - Laura Palmer (pre-chorus)
C#m-E-B-A:
• Bastille - Laughter Lies (middle 8)
C#-G#-D#-Fm:
• Bastille – Quarter Past Midnight (chorus - skip final Fm at very end)
Fm-C#-D#-G#:
• Bastille - Another Place (whole song)
Em-G-C-D:
• Bastille - WHAT YOU GONNA DO??? (first pre-chorus - stop after Em-G the second time)
Brandon Flowers/The Killers:
A#-F-Gm-D#:
• The Killers - I Can’t Stay (first half of chorus riff)
• The Killers - Quiet Town (most of song)
B-F#-G#m-E:
• The Killers – In the Car Outside (most of chorus/outro)
C-G-Am-F:
• The Killers - Joyride (first half of middle 8)
D-Em-C-G:
• The Killers - Caution (second half of main riff)
E-B-C#m-A:
• The Killers - Tranquilize (first part of chorus)
E-B-F#-G#m:
• Brandon Flowers - Lonely Town (most of middle 8)
• The Killers - Losing Touch (first half of intro/chorus - played as E-B-F#-G#m-F# - end verse as E-B-F#)
• The Killers – Have All the Songs Been Written? (chorus - played as E-B-F#-G#m-F#)
E-F#-G#m-B:
• The Killers - When You Were Young (most of song - add E at end of riff)
C#-F#-A#m-G#:
• The Killers - Mr. Brightside (chorus/post-chorus riff)
F#-C#-G#-A#m:
• Brandon Flowers - Only the Young (pre-chorus/chorus - played as F#-C#-G#-A#m-G#)
G#m-E-F#-B:
• Brandon Flowers - Hard Enough (chorus)
B-F#-D#m-C#:
• Brandon Flowers - Crossfire (intro/first part of chorus riff)
Cm-A#-G#-D#:
• Brandon Flowers - Jilted Lovers and Broken Hearts (verse riff, then A#-Cm-A#, then repeat riff, then A#-G#)
A#m-G#-C#-F#:
• Brandon Flowers - Only the Young (first half of middle 8)
G-Bm-A-D:
• Brandon Flowers - Untangled Love (second part of chorus - just use D the very first time and at the very end of the song)
Cm-G#-D#-A#:
• The Killers - West Hills (whole song except brief bridge changes)
• The Killers – Be Still (second half of verse riff/first part of chorus/middle 8)
A#-D#-Gm-F:
• The Killers – Here With Me (chorus)
F#-C#-D#m-B:
• The Killers – Just Another Girl (most of song – played as F-C#-D#m-B-C# - end on D#m)
A#-F-Dm-C:
• The Killers – Shot at the Night (chorus – end on F)
B-G#m-F#-E:
• The Killers – Have All the Songs Been Written (first half of verses)
Dm-C-A#-F:
• The Killers - When the Dreams Run Dry (second half of main verse/chorus riff)
Lady Gaga:
A-E-F#m-D:
• Lady Gaga - The Edge of Glory (chorus)
G#-D#-Fm-C#:
• Lady Gaga – Paparazzi (chorus)
G#m-E-B-F#:
• Lady Gaga - Poker Face (chorus)
G-D-A-Bm:
• Lady Gaga - Alejandro (chorus)
F-G-Am-C:
• Lady Gaga - Bad Romance (first line of chorus, rest is variations)
• Lady Gaga – Monster (pre-chorus/most of choruses)
G#-A#-Cm-D#:
• Lady Gaga - Judas (chorus - second half of it has A# in place of D#)
F-C-Dm-A#:
• Lady Gaga – Hair (most of song)
Dm-C-F-A#:
• Lady Gaga – Hair (pre-chorus)
Bono & The Edge/U2:
D-G-Bm-A:
• U2 – Where the Streets Have No Name (verses/chorus – end on C-D in first verse and just D in other parts of verses and chorus)
D-A-Bm-G:
• U2 - Miracle Drug (main riff)
• U2 - With or Without You (intro/verses)
E-B-C#m-A:
• U2 - Ultraviolet (Light My Way) (“oh, oh, Ultraviolet light” part after last choruses)
G-D-Em-C:
• U2 - Winter (intro, verses, outro - played as G-D-Em-C-D-C)
Am-F-C-G:
• U2 - Moment of Surrender (first half of verses, then Em-D-Am - Am not played before first chorus)
Bm-G-D-A:
• U2 - In a Little While (chorus)
C#m-A-E-B:
• U2 - Lady with the Spinning Head (chorus)
• U2 - Magnificent (verses - played as F#m-C#m-A-E-B-Bm)
• U2 - Ultraviolet (Light My Way) (“baby, baby, baby…” part before third verse)
Em-C-G-D:
• U2 - The Wanderer (chorus - reverse D and G the second time around)
• U2 - Volcano (most of chorus)
• U2 - Wild Honey (chorus)
E-B-F#-G#m:
• U2 – Song for Someone (pre-chorus/chorus/first half of outro)
F#m-D-A-E:
• U2 - So Cruel (first half of middle 8)
B-C#m-A-E:
• U2 - Stuck in a Moment You Can’t Get Out Of (second half of main intro/verses riff)
D-A-E-F#m:
• U2 - California (There Is No End to Love) (verses - alternate F#m with B every other time and end on just E before chorus)
D-A-F#m-E:
• U2 - California (There Is No End to Love) (first half of chorus)
G-D-Bm-A:
• U2 - The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) (first half of chorus’s main riff)
A-C#m-E-B:
• U2 - Every Breaking Wave (most of song)
A-Bm-D-G:
• U2 - Beautiful Day (most of song - played as A-Bm-D-G-D-A)
C#m-B-E-A:
• U2 - Ultraviolet (Light My Way) (first half of “baby, baby, baby…” part after final chorus)
F#-C#-G#-A#m:
• U2 – Last Night on Earth (first and third parts of chorus)
G-Bm-D-A:
• U2 – Even Better Than the Real Thing (pre-chorus – played as Gadd9-Bm7-D-Dsus-D-A)
G-D-A-Bm:
• U2 – Get Out of Your Own Way (most of song – alternates with G-D-A in variations)
• U2 - You’re the Best Thing About Me (chorus/outro)
Linkin Park:
B-F#-G#m-E:
• Linkin Park - Shadow of the Day (chorus)
C#m-A-E-B:
• Linkin Park - Crawling (chorus)
Em-C-G-D:
• Linkin Park - Pushing Me Away (whole song - end on just G)
F#m-D-A-E:
• Linkin Park - Numb (whole song except pre-chorus)
A-E-B-C#m:
• Linkin Park - Castle of Glass (chorus)
G#-D#-A#-Cm:
• Linkin Park - Final Masquerade (chorus)
D#m-F#-C#-B:
• Linkin Park - In the End (chorus)
Bm-D-G-A:
• Linkin Park - Runaway (first part of intro/chorus - no minor?)
Jon Bon Jovi/Bon Jovi:
A-E-F#m-D:
• Bon Jovi - Real Life (intro/first half of chorus)
D-A-Bm-G:
• Jon Bon Jovi – Queen of New Orleans (first two choruses)
E-B-C#m-A:
• Jon Bon Jovi – Queen of New Orleans (last chorus)
Cm-G#-D#-A#:
• Bon Jovi – It’s My Life (chorus)
C#m-A-E-B:
• Bon Jovi - Have a Nice Day (most of chorus)
Em-C-G-D:
• Bon Jovi - Misunderstood (chorus - played as Em-C-G-D/F#)
G-Bm-D-A:
• Bon Jovi - Real Life (first half of middle 8 riff)
C#m-E-A-B:
• Bon Jovi - Have a Nice Day (verses)
Am-C-G-F:
• Bon Jovi - Everyday (chorus - played as Am-C-G-F-G)
Max Martin:
F-C-Dm-A#:
• Ace of Base - Lucky Love (intro/most of chorus, end on F-C-Dm-A)
Bm-G-D-A:
• Ace of Base - Never Gonna Say I’m Sorry (most of intro/chorus)
A#-F-Gm-D#:
• Backstreet Boys - The One (most of chorus) (played as A#-Fsus-F-Gm7-D#9)
C-G-Am-F:
• Robyn – Show Me Love (third line of chorus)
E-A-C#m-B:
• Celine Dion - That’s the Way It Is (most of chorus - add F#m-A-B-E at end)
Cm-G#-D#-A#:
• Bon Jovi – It’s My Life (chorus)
F#-C#-D#m-B:
• Daughtry - Feels Like Tonight (most of song)
Em-C-G-D:
• Pink! - U + Ur Hand (first part of chorus)
D-E-F#m-A:
• Pink - Who Knew (chorus - end on D-E)
Em-C-G-D:
• Katy Perry - Hot n’ Cold (middle 8)
C#-G#-A#m-F#:
• Pink - Please Don’t Leave Me (third part of chorus - the first two times in chorus and the verses are just C#-G#-A#m, then in reverse for the fourth time - A#m-G#-C#)
A-F#m-D-E:
• Kelly Clarkson - My Life Would Suck Without You (most of chorus, except Am-C in last two chords of third line)
Bm-D-A-G:
• Adam Lambert - Whataya Want From Me (verses - add D-G again at end each time)
G-A-Bm-D:
• Adam Lambert - Whataya Want From Me (chorus - played as Gmaj7-A-Bm-D - end on G-A)
G-D-Em-C:
• Pink - Fuckin’ Perfect (most of song?)
C#m-B-E-A:
• Taio Cruz - Dynamite (most of song)
Gm-A#-F-C:
• Katy Perry - Wide Awake (whole song)
A#-Dm-F-C:
• Britney Spears - I Wanna Go (second and fourth times of chorus - played as A#-Dm-F-Am-C - first and third chorus lines are A#-Dm-F-Am)
Pink:
C#-G#-A#m-F#:
• Pink - Please Don’t Leave Me (third part of chorus - the first two times in chorus and the verses are just C#-G#-A#m, then in reverse for the fourth time - A#m-G#-C#)
E-B-C#m-A:
• Pink – All I Know So Far (chorus – end on B)
G-D-Em-C:
• Pink - Fuckin’ Perfect (most of song?)
Bm-G-D-A:
• Pink - Try (most of song except first half of chorus)
G-D-A-Bm:
• Pink - Try (first part of chorus)
A-F#m-D-E:
• Pink - Just Like a Pill (most of song)
G#-D#-Cm-A#:
• Pink - Today’s the Day (whole song, except Gm at end of first two times through verse riff)
D-E-F#m-A:
• Pink - Who Knew (chorus - end on D-E)
D#-Cm-A#-G#:
• Pink - Don’t Let Me Get Me (most of song)
Dm-A#-F-C:
• Pink – Bridge of Light (pre-chorus)
F-A#-C-Dm:
• Pink – Bridge of Light (first and third parts of chorus)
Arcade Fire:
A#m-F#-C#-G#:
• Arcade Fire – Rebellion (Lies) (last choruses and outro - no minor?)
Dm-A#-F-C:
• Arcade Fire – Normal Person (second half of chorus/outro)
E-B-F#-G#m:
• Arcade Fire - Afterlife (most of verses)
F#-E-G#m-B:
• Arcade Fire - Afterlife (first half of chorus)
X Ambassadors:
Bm-G-D-A:
• X Ambassadors - Unsteady (chorus)
Bm-D-A-G:
• X Ambassadors - Renegades (whole song)
Bm-A-G-D:
• X Ambassadors - Unsteady (verses - end on G before chorus)
Timbaland:
Cm-G#-D#-A#:
• OneRepublic - Apologize (whole song)
Am-C-G-F:
• Bubba Sparxx - Deliverance (intro/song)
• Chris Cornell - Long Gone (original version chorus and middle 8 - pre-chorus with “you’re like diamond” same except ends on Dm instead of F)
• Nelly Furtado - All Good Things (Come To An End) (most of song)
Dm-C-A#-F:
• Duran Duran Feat. Timbaland - Skin Divers (most of song)
Fm-G#-C#-D#:
• Nelly Furtado - Say It Right (verses - some say D# is A#m)
Rihanna:
Gm-D#-A#-F:
• Eminem & Rihanna - Love the Way You Lie (most of song?)
F#-C#-G#-A#m:
• Rihanna - Umbrella (chorus)
G-D-A-Bm:
• T.I. & Rihanna - Live Your Life (whole song)
Bm-D-A-G:
• Rihanna - Disturbia (whole song except middle 8)
G-D-Em-C:
• Rihanna – California King Bed (chorus – end on G)
D#m-B-F#-C#:
• Calvin Harris and Rihanna – We Found Love (most of song)
Bruce Springsteen:
A-E-F#m-D:
• Bruce Springsteen - I’m Goin’ Down (intro/verses/second half of chorus riff)
F#m-D-A-E:
• Bruce Springsteen – Radio Nowhere (most of song)
E-C#m-A-B:
• Bruce Springsteen - Meet Me in the City (first half of verses)
Em-C-D-G:
• Bruce Springsteen - The River (most of chorus)
D#-F-A#-Gm:
• Bruce Springsteen - Lucky Town (chorus - played as D#-F-A#-F-Gm - with A#-F after second time)
G-A-D-Bm:
• Bruce Springsteen - Sad Eyes (chorus)
Em-G-D-C:
• Bruce Springsteen - The River (first part of verses - played as Em-G-D-C9)
E-A-C#m-B:
• Bruce Springsteen - Badlands (chorus)
E-B-A-C#m:
• Bruce Springsteen - Badlands (intro - played as E-B-A-C#m-B)
Gm-D#-A#-F:
• Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (guitar solo after first “la la…” chorus)
F-Gm-D#-A#:
• Bruce Springsteen - The Rising (second verse – played as F-Gm-D#-A#-F)
Madonna:
Fm-C#-G#-D#:
• Madonna - The Power of Goodbye (most of song)
A#-F-C-Dm:
• Madonna - Like a Prayer (verses - Dm held out at end of second and fourth riffs)
B-G#m-E-F#:
• Madonna - True Blue (most of song - F#7 after F# in some places)
A-C#m-E-B:
• Madonna - La Isla Bonita (second half of verse riff)
D-G-Bm-A:
• Madonna - I’ll Remember (chorus)
A#-F-C-Dm:
• Madonna – Ghosttown (most of chorus)
Dm-C-F-A#:
• Madonna – Ghosttown (first part of pre-chorus)
Carly Rae Jepsen:
E-B-C#m-A:
• Carly Rae Jepsen - Your Type (chorus)
A#-F-C-Dm:
• Carly Rae Jepsen - I Really Like You (whole song)
G#-D#-A#-Cm:
• Owl City & Carly Rae Jepsen - Good Time (whole song?)
Mat Kearney:
F#m-D-A-E:
• Mat Kearney - Air I Breathe (most of choruses)
• Mat Kearney – Ships in the Night (whole song)
• Mat Kearney - Sooner or Later (second half of verse riff, then just F#m-D the second time)
F-C-G-Am:
• Mat Kearney - Closer to Love (second half of chorus - played as Fmaj7-C-G-Am - skip Am the second time)
F#-C#-G#-A#m:
• Mat Kearney - Billion (chorus, second to last riff leave out A#m - before going back one more time with A#m)
E-A-C#m-B:
• Mat Kearney - All I Have (chorus - played as E-E/D#-C#m-B5)
E-A-D-F#m:
• Mat Kearney - Sooner or Later (chorus)
Sum 41:
B-F#-G#m-E:
• Sum 41 - Confusion and Frustration in Modern Times (chorus)
• Sum 41 – Walking Disaster (most of song)
E-B-C#m-A:
• Sum 41 - With You (intro/verses)
C#m-A-E-B:
• Sum 41 - With You (pre-chorus/chorus - put C after each time in chorus, end on C#m-A)
Dm-A#-F-C:
• Sum 41 - Pieces (intro/chorus - A# played as A#sus2)
G#m-E-B-F#:
• Sum 41 - The Hell Song (most of song)
• Sum 41 – Walking Disaster (first part of chorus)
A-E-B-C#m:
• Sum 41 - With You (first part of middle 8/part of second half of middle 8 - played as A-E-B-C#m-B)
Taylor Swift:
C-G-Am-F:
• Taylor Swift – All Too Well (most of song – intro and first verse played as C5-Gsus4-Am-Fsus2)
• Taylor Swift – Out of the Woods (most of song)
D-A-Bm-G:
• Taylor Swift - Love Story (whole song except key change at end to E-B-C#m-A)
E-B-C#m-A:
• Taylor Swift - Innocent (first half of chorus)
• Taylor Swift - Love Story (last chorus)
F#-C#-D#m-B:
• Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble (verses)
Dm-A#-F-C:
• Taylor Swift – Sparks Fly (most of song)
D#m-B-F#-C#:
• Taylor Swift – You’re Not Sorry (most of song)
C-G-D-Em:
• Taylor Swift - Bad Blood (whole song)
• Taylor Swift – Mine (chorus – played as C-G-D-Em-D)
F-C-G-Am:
• Zayn & Taylor Swift – I Don’t Wanna Live Forever (whole song)
C#m-E-A-B:
• Taylor Swift - Innocent (last part of first half of verses)
A#-Gm-D#-F:
• Taylor Swift – Teardrops on My Guitar (first half of verses)
A#-F-Gm-D#:
• Taylor Swift – Teardrops on My Guitar (chorus)
C-Am-F-G:
• Taylor Swift; Brendon Urie – Me! (most of song)
F-G-C-Am:
• Taylor Swift - The Man (whole song)
G-C-Em-D:
• Taylor Swift – Message in a Bottle (Taylor’s Version) (most of song)
D#m-B-C#-F#:
• Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble (chorus - played as D#m-B-C#-F#-C#)
Demi Lovato:
G-D-Em-C:
• Demi Lovato – Skyscraper (most of song)
A#m-F#-C#-G#:
• Demi Lovato ft. Joe Jonas - This Is Me (most of verses)
C#-G#-D#-Fm:
• Demi Lovato - Heart Attack (most of song)
F#-C#-G#-A#m:
• Demi Lovato ft. Joe Jonas - This Is Me (first part of chorus riff, then F#-C#-G#)
B-F#-D#m-C#:
• Demi Lovato - Give Your Heart a Break (whole song except bridge)
Imagine Dragons:
D-A-Bm-G:
• Imagine Dragons - It’s Time (verses)
D#-A#-Cm-G#:
• Imagine Dragons - Demons (whole song)
F#-C#-G#-A#m:
• Imagine Dragons – Whatever It Takes (chorus)
A#m-G#-C#-F#:
• Imagine Dragons - I Bet My Life (pre-chorus - skip F# the second and fourth time)
Cm-G#-D#-A#:
• Imagine Dragons – Bad Liar (chorus/outro)
Cm-G#-A#-D#:
• Imagine Dragons - Bad Liar (verses)
Hedley:
D#-A#-Cm-G#:
• Hedley – Parade Rain (chorus)
E-B-C#m-A:
• Hedley - Hello (chorus)
• Hedley - Never Too Late (verses) (B added at end)
G-D-Em-C:
• Hedley – One Life (most of song)
E-B-A-C#m:
• Hedley - Never Too Late (first half of chorus - played as E-B-A-C#m-B)
F-A#-Dm-C:
• Hedley – Got Love (chorus)
F-C-Am-G:
• Hedley – Top of the World (pre-chorus)
D#-G#-Cm-A#:
• Hedley – Parade Rain (chorus)
Walk Off the Earth:
Am-C-G-F:
• Walk off the Earth - Fire in My Soul (most of song)
A#-D#-Gm-F:
• Walk off the Earth – Rule the World (first half of chorus)
